Dog283's guide to happy car life

I can say that I've been a car enthusiast since birth. Blame my dad I guess. I got an early start into this and things have not slowed down. A month ago while I was busy overhauling the engine and transmission of my '79 Lancer I got into a conversation with my dad and realized how fast time goes by when your having fun. Seven years have already passed since I started tinkering with my car. The first major upgrade being a swap to a 5-speed transmission from the original 4-speed. Not to mention that a few years earlier I had worked on a project '60 Chevy too.

Over the last few years I have seen this old-school hobby really take off. Back in 2004, there was just really a handful of us around online and nowadays I can't even keep track of who's who anymore. People tend to come and go though. There are a number of reasons for this. First would be the easy of entry into the hobby. It does sound very appealing to go buy some cheap junker for around 30k and fix it up- both for enthusiasts looking for another toy car and also for first time car owners who really can't afford anything more. Not that we look down on those people or anything- it's just a fact.

Appealing as it seems in the start fixing up a junker is asking for a whole lot of trouble. These things can quickly spiral into horrible money pits leading to much sorrow and disappointment. I always advise that it's better to hold out and save for a better car than to start with something really bad. Getting a fresh presentable car for 60k vs a junker at 30k will put you way ahead of the pack. Sure, it's double the price but at least it can be enjoyed 'out of the box' and even if you spend 30k more of your Pesos on that junker you won't be near. Suddenly your cheap little project is running pretty damn near the cost of getting a new car.

Even going beyond simple fixing up and restoration can get out of hand too. I know this from experience- the parts alone on my '79 Lancer cost enough to buy a decent used 'modern' car.

All that said, I figured I'd list some pointers to keep in mind for anybody who's thinking about getting into this, and also to help guide you if you already find yourself knee deep in shit.

• Make sure you really want to do this. Don't get into the hobby just because it's the 'in' thing and your friends are old-schoolers too. 
• You get what you pay for. What has worth is worth paying for. Cheap and cheerful is okay, but don't expect high level work for budget meal prices- there's no such thing. There's a reason why the good stuff cost money. 
• DIY: Do it yourself. Yes, the good stuff costs money but nobody said you always have to pay. Watch and learn to do things yourself. Maybe pay an expert to do work and see how it's done. It's very rewarding to be able to do things yourself and it'll save you lots of money in the long run. Beware of getting carried away though. Somethings are best left to the experts. DIY can quickly become destroy it yourself if you go on without really knowing what your doing. 
• Experience is the best teacher. I could type 3 whole pages worth of notes on how to tune a carburetor but unless you go and use your hands and practice on the real thing it won't really make sense. I find nothing more annoying than 'bench racing'. There is not hard and fast rule and not one correct way to setup a car. What works for one will not work for another and the only way to find out is to try it. Note though that you can save a lot of time, effort and money by 'learning' from the mistakes (experiences) of others. 
• Improvise and think outside the box. Some people spend so much time trying to find very specific parts, not realizing that something else (cheaper and readily available) can be 'persuaded' to fit with a little effort. Case in point: The AP Lockheed remote brake servo I use to convert the brakes in 1stGen Lancer's is actually a stock replacement part for some European cars. A lot of parts are in SAE standard sizes and will happily interchange if you use your imagination. 
• Function > Form. A car is meant to be driven. Something that you can enjoy driving will always be better than some eye candy that you can only stare at. Slammed to the ground stance with no fendergaps and 'Hellaflush' wheel fitments might look nice (I don't think it is), but you won't enjoy driving that- specially here in Philippine driving conditions. Also, it might be tempting to go build a maxed out 'full race' engine with ungodly amounts of power- but realize that such a thing would be so unreliable, thirsty and temperamental that you won't be able to use it on the street. A car you can't drive is something you will eventually get tired of quickly. I make it a point to drive my car the way it was meant to be driven (interpret that whatever way you want). Those are the moments really that make all the effort worth while.
• Modification: Think carefully, because once you start you will never be able to leave it alone. I know this so well I find it funny. My journey started by simpling getting headers. Because a friend said to get them to free up a little power from the engine, and it ended with me building my own rally spec race engine and I'm far from done. 
• Most important: Have fun. Some people are so competitive that it actually causes them stress. Take things at your own pace an make sure you have fun every step of the way. Things might be hard once in a while- a engine or electrical problem that can't be traced or some missing part that can't be found. But the more happy memories you have the easier it will be to get by. 

This is all I can think of for now. I might go and add to this at a later time.